Notes and Editorial Reviews

For many, the heart of the opera is Tatyana, whose Letter Scene is at the emotional center of the piece. Thus, one appeal of this 1955 performance is Galina Vishnevskaya at the height of her powers. This studio recording, recorded by Melodiya, has been available before on compact disc, on a set issued by Legato Classics... This Russian set, after the prelude, begins with the duet between Olga and Tatyana, lustily sung by Vishnevskaya and Avdeyeva: clearly this will be an emotional performance. The voices are forward in the mix here, despite Tchaikovsky’s suggestion that the two girls are singing a duet within the house... Vishnevskaya is a near perfect Tatyana, if one assumes that Tatyana, despite her paleness and moony quality, is ready toRead more burst with emotion. Vishnevskaya lets hers explode in the Letter Scene, but is subtle enough to capture the wistfulness and essential sadness as well. She is also able to convey her relative restraint in the finale. I can’t particularly hear innocence in the voice, but neither can I in Tchaikovsky’s lush score. Belov and Lemeshev fulfill their roles well.

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review: ( 5 Customer Reviews )

4 out of 5 are classicsMay 30, 2013By J. Tatnall (West Grove, PA)See All My Reviews"Four of the five operas presented here are Soviet studio recordings of the Bolshoi during the 40s and 50s. They are outstanding for the dramatic intensity of the singers and conductors. The sound can vary a bit, but tends to be clear, up close mono recording. The Boris, Igor, Onegin, and Queen of Spades have all been singled out for praise over the years. The Sadko is a live performance from the 60s and suffers the most variable sound. But the cast is good and Svetlanov is a dynamic and riveting conductor. You will need to find texts on line, but the price makes this a very worthwhile collection."Report Abuse

Could have been better, but still excellent!May 2, 2013By P. Ledesma (Wellington, KS)See All My Reviews"I appreciated the opportunity to be able to affordably obtain this set of operas, but even though there were some exceptionally good moments there were some wrinkles. Maybe we were being spared more drudgery when an act was omitted from the Borodin, but when even the so called HIGHLIGHTS are performed blandly and uninspired, I found it difficult at first to sit through more than an hour at a time of this music. The decision to provide scant synopsis information compounded that frustration. I hope that my suggestion for opera sets like this - to provide more detailed printable synopsis downloads for a nominal fee - will receive some consideration. Both Tchaikovsky operas were pretty good, and Rimsky's Sadko under Svetlanov was tremendously well done with the exception of some slightly irritating drop offs in the recording quality in certain spots. Many historical musical heavyweights make outstanding performances along the way, and when I put it all on the scale I can recommend the set with less reservation than my initial listening experience would allow. Not a superior set, but still pretty excellent!"Report Abuse

Historic, idomatic performancesApril 29, 2013By William Snyder (Greenbelt, MD)See All My Reviews"One must always be concerned with old, often live performances remastered for CD and selling at bargain prices. In the case of this Bravissimo! Opera Library set of Russian operas, all from the Bolshoi Theater, the sound is generally very good, especially for the singers. And most important, these are historic performances by great Russian singers and players who perform this music better, or at least more idiomatically, than anyone else. I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated all five operas recorded on these discs."Report Abuse